Coin-holding device



Oct.2, 1951 Q F, EV T 2,569,629

COIN-HOLDING DEVICE Filed May 14, 1949 IN V EN TOR. OPP/ll US l: [V'P/TT coin-receiving openings of the devices.

Patented Oct. 2, 1951 COIN-HOLDING DEVICE Orphius F. Everitt, Elyria, Ohio Application May 14, 1949, Serial No. 93,242-

1 Claim. (01. 1336) The present invention relates generally to receptacles and is more particularly concerned with a novel and very usefulcoin-holding device and with a combination key and coin-holding device, both of which are easy and inexpensive to produce.

Coinholders heretofore known have generally taken the form of a purse or similar item provided with some sort of closure means for the opening therein, such as the usual purse lock or a flap which is adapted to foldin over the opening of the body for snap attachment to an opposite side of said body to retain the coins in the purse. Attempts have been made by others heretofore to retain the coins in the purses by means of resilient elements such as metal springs which may partially or completely normally extend across the These contrivances, however, have not proven very satisfactory because of the difliculty of making a good lasting attachment of the retention means to the purse or case, particularly where the latter is of leather or plastic material which is subject to either tearing or fracture under stresses normally incident to use of such elements. A similar shortcoming has been incurred in connection with the use of resilient retention means within the purse or body rather than across the coin-receiving opening thereof.

Furthermore, those skilled in the art have been unsuccessful in their eiforts to produce a wholly satisfactory combination key case and coin holder, which could be manufactured rapidly and easily and still have all the utility and economy demanded in such devices. Attempts in the past have characteristically involved the use of pocketed devices having separate closure means or folding flaps defining a closed coin pocket and requiring special efforts on the part of the user to assure the rentention of coins in the device as well as to remove coins therefrom.

In accordance with the present invention, these difficulties of the prior art can be overcome and a device of this type may be produced at a considerably lower cost than the prior art devices. Specifically, this invention enables the production of devices of either type aforementioned in a plastic molding die, the device as a whole being made of plastic material, with the possible exception in certain cases of one or two small metal parts which may serve, as described in detail below, as special securing means for key-covering flaps and for the keys themselves. This plastic material may be selected from a wide variety of known plastic compositions togive best wear results and to meet requirements as to color, weight, flexibility and resiliency. Still further, rather than requiring a special efiort to put coins into the devices of my invention and to retain them therein, these devices exert apositive force on coins being insertedthereinto, to move the coins completely into the devices. Moreover, at all times this same force is available to oppose movement of the coins out of these devices and a special effortis required to withdraw the coins over these forces. These features are built into my devices and are attributable to their novel design derstanding of this invention upon consideration of the detailed description set forth below, reference being had to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the device embodying this invention in one form, a part of the top of the device-being broken away in the interest of clarity;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device of Fig. 1 with part of an end portion of the device being broken away to show the coin retention means in open position, the coins in and partly within the case being indicated in outline;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a combination key and coin holding device embodying this invention in another form;

Fig. 4 is an elevational .view of the device of Fig. 3 taken at the open end thereof and showing keys disposed in a normal position therein; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of still another form of a coin-holding device of this'invention.

Generally. a coin holder of this invention comprises a body having spaced top and bottom walls, spaced side walls secured to the top and bottom walls, and an end wall connecting the side wall with the top and bottom walls and cooperating therewith to combine a coin chamber. One end of the body is open to receive coins to be stored therein and the body is further provided with resilient means comprising a tongue secured to the body and defining a gate partially closing said open end, and having a resilient portion for limited motion relative to the body when force applied to the tongue exceeds a predetermined maximum. A combination key casev and coin holder has in addition to the foregoing elements, a pair of opposed flexible flaps, preferably of reduced thickness, which are formed integrally with the body and adapted to partially overlap each other and cover substantially the top portion or wall of the body. This device further has securing means carried by the flaps for detachably securing the flaps together and with means attached. to the bodyfcr. detachablysecuring keys to the body,

More specifically and with particular reference to Figs. 1 and 2 a typical coin holder of my invention comprises a relatively thin and long body 9 having a closed end l rounded ,toconform generally to coins C to be contained inthe device, and has an integrally formed eye for carrying the device, as by means'nfa chain (not shown). Top and bottom walls 12 and I3 are disposed substantially parallel and are of essentially the same generally rectangular shape but having a rounded end. Side-wallsJM and- 15. dispose'daat substantially right angles" to the top and bottom walls and are integrallyformed with said 'top and bottom walls with an end wall 10. These various wallsare preferably of *a-substantial' thickness as indicated in the figuresibuti'the top and bottom wallsmay'be slightly thinner-than the others, if weight is an important consideration.

The capacity of this Fig. l'devicexis six coins arranged in two superimposedrows of three coins each. In the case of nickels, substantially all the available space ofx-the device is takenxup at this capacity, but smaller. coins, such as pennies or dimes, may nevertheless be positivelysand effectively retained-:although'there is some room for such coins to shiftxaround within the device, even =when it is packed as indicated.

Two tongues'20 integrally; formed with the side walls l4 and 15 are normally disposedconverging- 1y partially across the'open end of. the device as a gate. Tongues' ZUdefi-neeangles ofa'bout 60 to the respective wallsand haveopposed. edges 2| which are substantially straight andparallel ;to

each other and which extend at substantially I --right angles to the top and bottom walls ofthe 'body. These tongues, being of the sameresilient plastic material as the body,'provide a spring etthrough the said'open erid.

"Referring now to Figs. 3'and4, again thedevice comprises abody'25 which -is generally relatively long and thin and is made up of'spaced .similarly shaped, substantially'parallel,.and generally rectangular top and bottom walls 26. and

21, spaced sidewalls 2-8 an'd 29 integrally formed shape of coins to be stored in the device.

with top and. bottomewalls and :withxan end wall 30 defining an.- arcconform-ing'generally to the Still .further, this device? has integrally. formed tongue -mem'bers '33 constituting'resil-ient means to retain coins within the body after the manner described above. 'In addition-two opposed, relatively :thinsection, rectangular flaprmembers and36 are integrally'formed with the bodyand extend from opposite ends of the top wall to overlap each other :and substantially coverkeys carried. by the device, as illustrated in Fig. 4. Thesefiapsarefurther provided with. mating snap fittings 31 on their free edges for. attachment in'the usual "man- .ner. vvicecomprises a screw. 38 tapped intoxthefclosed" The key-securing meansior this.'Fig.'.3"decoin retention means, i. e. the tongues.

4 end portion of the body for removal when it is desired to change or add keys to the device.

Device 40 of Fig. 5 generally resembles those described above but is shaped differently at its open end, its top and bottom Walls 42 and 43 being arcuately formed adjacent to said open end for ready accessibility of coins contained in the device. These top and bottom walls, side walls 4.5.andend wall 41 may suitably otherwise assume the form-shown in the devicesof Figs. 1 and 3 and may correspond in other particulars to said other devices.

Jaws or tongues 49 of this device, because of the contour of the end portions of the top and .bottom walls, may, however, have more coin retention effect than those of thepreviously described devices. It is seen for instance that small coins such as dimes will be strongly retained in the holder by tongues 49, although these coins are exposed to considerably greater extent and are 'easierto get hold of than coins in the other devices.

The operation and use of these devices will be apparent to those skilled in the art, but it is pointed outthat a characteristic common to all devices embodying this invention is the propelling or .throwing.of coins into the .coin vault by the This is-attributable to the resiliency, contour and position of this retention means in these devices.

There is, however, a fundamental and important difference between the mode of operation of the device of Fig. 5 and that of the other holders illustrated herein, and this difference renders the devices of the Fig. 5 generally preferableto the others. In particular, because of the arcuate shape of the lip portions of top and bottom walls 42 and 43, respectively, and because of the relative thin and flexible character of these lip portions, and also due to the spacing of tongues 49 over the greater portion of their lengths substantially uniformly from these lip :portions, insertion of coins into or removal of .coins from the holder is accomplished with unique case and facility. The lip portions of walls 42 and 43 are readily deformed under pressure applied to the coins by the operator as the coins are .moved through the open end of the holder. It

will be understood, however, that this advantage does not entail sacrifice of any virtue of the holder such'as its coin retention dependability, the lip portions resiliently opposing and in fact, preventing discharge of coins from the holders in the absence of force applied to the coins by the operator to cause their removal. Thus, holders of this Fig. 5 type may properly be characterized as readily receiving coins, dependably holding them and easily releasing them.

Having thus described the present invention so that others skilled in the art may understand the same, I state that what I desire to obtain by Letters Patent is set out in what is claimed.

What is claimed is:

A reloadable coin holder which readily receives, dependably holds and easily releases coins comprising a molded, flexible, resilient and non-metallic body having spaced substantially parallel top and bottom walls and side walls formed integrally with and connecting said top and bottom walls and cooperating therewith to define a coin chamber having an open end to receive coins to be contained'by the holder, said top and bottom walls having free arcuately-shaped edges constituting convexly-formed opposed lips defining the coin-receivingnpening of the holder, said lips REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,863,150 Allen June 14, 1932 2,379,695 Emery July 3, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 3,387 Great Britain Aug. 28, 1913 543,430 France Sept. 2, 1922 

